Stanley Kubrick Collection[1962]

Average customer rating:

8 of the best

The works of a master - in one box!

One man's unique vision, that will never be matched

almost perfect kubrick

The Master in One Handy Box

Stanley Kubrick Collection[1962]
Starring: Keir Dullea , James Mason , Shelley Winters , Sue Lyon , and Nicole Kidman
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005MHNJ
Release Date: 2001-09-10

Amazon.co.uk Review

This superb nine-disc Stanley Kubrick Box Set contains all the late director's work from 1962's Lolita to Kubrick's final film, the highly controversial Eyes Wide Shut (1999). There's also the excellent and highly informative two-hour documentary: Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures, narrated (a little drably) by Tom Cruise. It isn't exactly a warts-and-all portrait of Stan the Man, which is not surprising, really, given that it's directed and produced by Kubrick's brother-in-law Jan Harlan, and that Kubrick's widow Christine was closely involved in the making of it. But it does give a detailed and revealing portrait of a brilliant, demanding and often infuriating man, airing rare footage that goes right back to his earliest years as a brash youngster in the Bronx, already playing to camera with a frightening degree of self-awareness.

Six of the eight movies (all but Dr Strangelove and Eyes Wide Shut) have been digitally restored and remastered, and almost all (barring Strangelove again and Lolita) now boast Dolby Digital 5.1 stereo sound remixes. For some bizarre reason, Kubrick insisted on mono sound for the 1999 set, which he approved shortly before his death. Visually the improvement over the often grainy, scratchy prints previously on offer--The Shining (1980) was notoriously messy--is immense. All the features are presented in their original ratios, which in the case of Strangelove means the changing ratios in which it was originally shot, and for 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) the full glorious 2.21:1 expanse of the Cinerama screen.

So what don't you get? Essentially, the early Kubrick--the work of the young, hungry director before he moved to England and started to gather all the controlling strings into his own hand: most notably the tough, taut thriller The Killing (1956) and the icily furious war film Paths of Glory (1957). Too bad Warners couldn't have negotiated the rights for those too. But what we have here is the culminating phase of Kubrick's filmmaking career--the final 27 years of one of the great masters of cinema.

On the DVDs: Besides the visual and sonic improvements mentioned above, each of the eight features includes the original theatrical trailer and multiple-language subtitles. The DVD of Dr Strangelove also gives us filmographies of the principal players, plus theatrical posters and a photo gallery, while Eyes Wide Shut includes interviews (taped after Kubrick's death) with Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Steven Spielberg, plus a couple of 30-second TV spots. And with The Shining we get a fascinating 34-minute documentary made by Kubrick's then 17-year-old daughter Vivian, plus--just to add a further layer--Vivian's present-day voice-over commentary on her film. --Philip Kemp

Customer Reviews:

8 of the best.......2003-08-18

This box set contains 8 of some of the most iconic and brilliant motion pictures made by THE greatest man in the business. Kubrick really is a god at movie making, he may have only ever won one oscar but his movies are some of the most influential movies ever. For example Space Oddesy's introductrion of music into movies and a Clockwork Orange, possibly the most contrevesial movies ever made! Dr. Strangelove a movie that was released at a time when the world may well have fallen into a nuculear war. These are just a few examples of how Kubrick was a daring and risque director and his movies are all the better for it and each one is a landmark in movie history all trying something new and being unique masterpieces. This is the best selection of movies you are likley to see so if you hsve the money buy and if you don't well... go and sell something so you can buy it.

The works of a master - in one box!.......2001-10-03

The Stanley Kubrick collection is a fitting tribute to one of the greatest directors of the 20th Century. As a film maker who constantly pushed the boundaries of both the way the films are made and the cencorship that surrounds them, Kubrick made some of the classic films of are time. Now in all their glory are eight of his best: Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, 2001, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut. Every single film is a joy to watch, with each one showing something original and as an added bonus, all films have been been given the digital treatment they deserve although not every single DVD shows off the capabilities of the format completely. Finally, as a final bow, this box set also contains a full length documentary on Kubrick: A Life In Pictures. The only problem with the collection is the absense of some films. Whose idea was it to leave out Paths of Glory and The Killing? Still though, what we have here is undoutably the perfect gift for the Kubrick fan.

One man's unique vision, that will never be matched.......2001-10-02

OK, quick admission first - Kubrick is my favourite filmmaker bar none. Here, then, is a collection of 8 masterly films, each so different in construction, subject and appearance that it would be hard to believe that they had all been made by the same man if we didn't know otherwise. There are links however - all share an ambiguity in meaning, and in all of them, the filmmaker detaches the audience from the characters and the actions, leaving us almost voyeurs to what goes on before us, and in all of them, the casts give magnificent, often career defining performances.

Everybody knows all about 2001 : A Space Odyssey, and it is the central film in Kubrick's output. It is also one of the most obtuse and ambiguous films Hollywood has ever made and improves with repeated viewing. The lush and beautiful Lolita and the manic Dr. Strangelove predate 2001 and have survived the test of time fairly well, although Kubrick himself is upstaged by Peter Sellers in Strangelove.

A Clockwork Orange has aged badly but remains powerful and vitriolic. Barry Lyndon, savaged on release by critics, now looks achingly beautiful and unlike any other film ever made; in many ways the narrative takes second place to the visuals. The Shining (my personal favourite) builds tension through mundanity, and is so cleverly lit you find yourself watching the hotel rather than the stars, with an understated grand finale that fits the film perfectly. The first half of Full Metal Jacket (the boot camp section) is as important a film as has been made about war, although the second half suffers from being filmed in the UK instead of Vietnam. Eyes Wide Shut, again mauled by the critics, will be due it's reappraisal shortly and is still better than 99% of Hollywood's output over the last decade.

This is an essential collection for anybody who likes good films, for anybody interested in the history of cinema and for anybody intrigued by the human condition, which is dissected by Kubrick's masterful film-making.

Some quick footnotes - I have had no problems with my DVDs (unlike one of the other reviewers) and neither The Killing or Paths of Glory are as good as anything in this box set - their main interest lies in watching someone learn his craft. And for anybody still uncertain about Kubrick's importance and influence - just count the number of scenes from his films that have been parodied in The Simpsons. You know you've made it when Bart and Homer make fun of you week in and week out.

almost perfect kubrick.......2001-09-20

kubrick was a cinematic genius and this collection from early 1960's to his death covers 8 fims and two thirds of his output.shame though no killing or killers kiss as that would have made it 5 stars.documentary is very good at two and a half hours but this is no by means the definitive kubrick collection...

The Master in One Handy Box.......2001-09-20

Want to see exactly how to make 'quality movies'? Kubrick has proved his worth over and over again with classics such as 2001: a space odyssey (the definitive science fiction film), The Shining (perhaps the only true horror EPIC, taking a fabulous if fairly pedestrian horror story and spinning it into an assault on the senses), Dr. Stangelove (black comedy at it's finest), A Clockwork Orange (the stuff that cults are made of) and Full Metal Jacket (the only flaw being that it's not long enough!).

This set includes all his movies from Lolita onwards plus a bonus disc with a superb documentary which does exactly what it should do: make you want to rush off and watch the films again!

There are only two flaws in this set. One is the lack of extras. True, The Making of The Shining is superb, but where is the Arthur C. Clarke press conference included on the previous region 1 release of 2001? The other flaw is that the final three films (The Shining, Full Metal Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut) are presented in full screen at the request of Kubrick himself. However, this might not be so bad if we presume that the 35mm frames were opened up, in which case you can just view these films on a widescreen TV with the top and bottom of the image cut off and still get the true widescreen picture.

All in all, Kubrick was not exactly prolific, with only 12 films to his name but, as we all know, it's not size that matters!

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